World Gold Council: More central banks will increase their gold holdings due to geopolitical risks.

Shaokai Fan, head of global central banks at the World Gold Council, said on Tuesday that gold, as a tool for hedging against de-dollarization and geopolitical risks, is expected to encourage central banks that were previously absent from the market to buy this precious metal this year. He stated that in recent months, central banks of countries such as Guatemala, Indonesia, and Malaysia have started buying gold, either returning to the market after a long hiatus or making their first gold purchase. "In the past few months, some new central banks, which have long been inactive or absent from the gold market, are entering the gold market. I believe this trend may continue into 2026," he added. He also mentioned that some central banks are purchasing gold from small-scale domestic producers to support local industries and prevent this gold from falling into the hands of "unauthorized participants." He also stated that during a round of gold selling in October last year, central banks took the opportunity to increase their holdings, but it is still too early to determine if a similar situation is occurring in the current downturn this month.